Real estate permits, starts fall in March

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Single-family authorizations in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 1.54 million, which is 6.9 percent below the February figure and 0.6 percent below the March 2005 rate, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today. The seasonally adjusted rate is used to project a monthly total over a 12-month period, accounting for seasonal fluctuations. Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 2.06 million. This is 5.5 percent below the revised February rate and 1.9 percent above the March 2005 estimate. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 436,000 in March. Privately owned housing starts in March were at a season...